Toyota is teasing a midsize electric crossover riding on its E-TGNA platform for an EV for the European market. The full unveiling isn’t until 2021, but this rendering from Motor.es uses a design trademark rendering as the basis for how the vehicle might look.
The EV crossover’s design is a major change from the look of current Toyotas. Unlike many electric vehicles, the designers opt for blocky surfaces, rather than smooth styling with a more traditionally aerodynamic appearance.
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In front, there’s a prominent fascia with tiny headlights along the top edge. The flat hood has a contrasting black portion near the windshield. Along the side, there’s a distinct crease below the windows that forms the major line running down the body. The rear pillar is thicker than the rest and is the only one of them that’s body color, rather than black.
The design trademark rendering offers a good look at the weird rear end. The rear glass projects outward from the tail. If the company intends all of this portion to be transparent, the styling choice could create a fascinating look for the tail by bending the light depending on the angle that a person views it.
Toyota previewed this new design direction in June 2019 when the company announced the introduction of 10 electric vehicles using the e-TNGA platform, including six of those to be available globally. Accompanying renderings showed a shared styling ethos that looked a lot like what the company teased for the upcoming crossover.
Toyota reportedly has the codename BZ3 for the midsize crossover EV. This probably isn’t its official moniker, though, since the company generally prefers to give products proper names, rather than alphanumeric designations.
